Aircraft are generally considered to be one of two different types based on how they generate lift. A first type generates lift force from air passing over a fixed wing. This type of aircraft generally has a good lifting capacity, which also means that it can carry large amounts of fuel for sustained flight. However, because air needs to pass over the wing to generate the lift force, the aircraft must be accelerated on the ground until sufficient lift can be generated for take off. This limits the use of the aircraft to locations where there are suitable and accessible areas to accommodate take off and landing procedure.
A second type of air craft generates lift force from a rotating blade. Because the blade itself rotates, a lift force can be generated while the aircraft is stationary on the ground enabling it to be deployed from locations that cannot accommodate take off and landing of a fixed wing aircraft. However, significantly more power is required to generate a lifting force thereby limiting the fuel capacity and range of the aircraft. This type of aircraft is also generally limited to lower air speeds.
There have been some attempts to provide aircraft having a fixed wing and vertical take off capabilities. For example, the F-35 has a vertical take off variant. But, to provide this capability uses an extremely complex reconfiguration of the aircraft. In the F-35, the thrust is vectored toward the ground and a bay having a vertical fan is opened near the front of the aircraft. This reconfiguring is mechanically complex and also makes transitioning the aircraft extremely complex. This type of configuration generally also requires a significant amount of power to lift the aircraft such that the payload and even fuel capacity of the aircraft is reduced limiting its range.
It would be desirable to have an aircraft that combined the range and speed capabilities of the fixed wing aircraft with the take off and landing capabilities of a rotary blade aircraft. It would also be desirable to have such an aircraft of small or medium size that could be easily transported, deployed in a wide variety of terrain, and remotely operated or autonomously operated.